Ahsoka Tano made her live-action Star Wars debut in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 5, “Chapter 13: The Jedi,” and may have unknowingly setup Mando and Baby Yoda to meet Luke Skywalker. Played by Rosario Dawson, Ahsoka’s introduction has been one of the most anticipated moments of The Mandalorian season 2 ever since the casting was first announced. Thankfully for viewers, “The Jedi” did not disappoint, with Dawson, Dave Filoni, and all others involved doing a stunning job of bringing the character to life.
As had been expected, Ahsoka’s arrival also meant learning more about Baby Yoda. While Ahsoka didn’t train the the Child, she was able to communicate with him telepathically, which meant that she was able to reveal more of the Child’s backstory, and that Baby Yoda’s real name is Grogu. Baby Yoda was raised on the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and then forced into hiding after Order 66 was executed, where he was left scared and alone.
While Ahsoka isn’t actually a Jedi anyway, she’s also seen first hand what happens when someone is allowed to feel that kind of fear, and knows the risks involved. So while she won’t train Baby Yoda, she does tell Mando to take Grogu to the planet Tython, where he can be placed on a seeing stone and find his own path. It’s mysterious setup, but it could lead Mando and Baby Yoda to Luke.
In Star Wars Legends, Tython was one of several planets extremely rich in the Force, and its history predated the Jedi Order. Located in the Deep Core of the Star Wars galaxy, which was known for its strange worlds, it was discovered by a group of travellers who were attracted to its strength in the Force. Learning to harness that power, they formed the Je’daii Order, the organization that would eventually become the Jedi Order. It was Tython’s moons that gave the Je’daii a belief in the idea of balance in the Force, something they attempted to maintain on the world. Eventually, though, a civil war broke out among the order, fracturing them and leading to the formation of the Jedi, followers of the light side of the Force, and Tython was eventually abandoned. Centuries later it was re-discovered by the Jedi and a Temple was erected there, but the planet later fell into obscurity once again.
In Star Wars canon, Tython is yet to have much said or written about it, which the world held more as a mythical location. Its only notable appearance came in the comic Doctor Aphra 40, where Aphra tricked Darth Vader into going to the planet under the belief that it held a Rebel base. While Doctor Aphra didn’t delve as deep into Tython’s lore, it is still an ancient planet with ties to the Jedi, as Aphra states that it was founded by the “earliest Jedi cults”. The mountainous planet has been considered a potential site for the very first Jedi Temple, once again hinting at its great history and importance.
Tython’s place in Star Wars canon is about to get a whole lot bigger, with Ahsoka Tano telling Din Djarin to take Baby Yoda to the planet, and specifically to “the ancient ruins of a temple that has a strong connection to the Force.” That suggests the Jedi Temple, which itself was built on the foundations of an ancient temple constructed by the Je’daii Order. The Temple was built when the Jedi Order rediscovered Tython, making it their base following the fall of Coruscant during the Great Galactic War (over 3600 years before the events of the original Star Wars trilogy). Nestled next to a mountain range, parts of the Temple were destroyed when the Sith found Tython, and assuming that backstory remains in canon, then at least ruins have survived to this day.
This is what could lead Mando and Baby Yoda to meeting Luke Skywalker. Where exactly Luke is during The Mandalorian isn’t clear: the show takes place in 9ABY, so after he has trained Leia, but before he has taken on Ben Solo as an apprentice and started to form a new Jedi Order. What is known, though, is that Luke spent a lot of this time traversing the galaxy, searching for ancient artifacts with deep connections to both the Jedi and the Sith. With Tython one of the richest planets in the Force and with a history (in Legends, anyway) almost unrivalled in terms of the Jedi, then it would be a logical place for Luke to visit. In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Han says that it’s thought Luke went looking for “the first Jedi Temple.” That was revealed to be on Ahch-To, but the one on Tython was considered by scholars as a candidate. There’s a long time between The Mandalorian and Luke’s exile, but it wouldn’t be out of the question that he was searching for the first Temple long before the latter.
On top of the logical reasons that Luke would be interested in Tython, Ahsoka also sets up him meeting another Jedi on the planet, as she says: “If he reaches out through the Force, there’s a chance a Jedi may sense his presence and come searching for him. Then again, there aren’t many Jedi left.” It’s unclear just how many Jedi are around at this point, since Ezra Bridger’s fate remains unknown, and it’s unclear if Cal Kestis survived that long. But the one Jedi alive for definite – though Ahsoka may not know it – is Luke Skywalker. And so if Luke, already interested in ancient Jedi lore, senses a Force presence on the world of Tython, somewhere he is likely already interested in and may have visited or be planning on visiting anyway, then there’s surely no way he would ignore it at this stage, further putting him on a collision course with Mando and Baby Yoda.
If Luke does indeed find Baby Yoda on Tython in The Mandalorian, then it would beg the question: what next? It’s a relatively simple one, but the answer could be very complicated. So far, Baby Yoda has only appeared in The Mandalorian, with no hints of him anywhere else in Star Wars canon. Luke does try to rebuild the Jedi Order and takes on several new students, but there is no mention of Grogu being among them. At the same time, though, “The Jedi” makes it clear that isn’t a block to him being revealed as one of Luke’s fallen students. There was obviously no mention of Baby Yoda during the prequel era, and yet The Mandalorian season 2, episode 5 reveals that he was there, training as a Jedi, presumably meeting many familiar characters, and somehow surviving Anakin Skywalker’s slaughter of the younglings during Order 66. If Baby Yoda can be retconned into that, then there’s no reason at present he can’t be one of Luke’s students either.
So while it’s definitely possible Luke could train Baby Yoda – although this is still a few years off the formation of his new Order, as far has been revealed at least – there’s a biggest question mark over whether or not it will happen. This is a Luke who still believes in the Jedi, and so if he came across a child who is Force-sensitive (to such a powerful extent) and of the same species as Yoda, could he possibly pass up such an opportunity? It’s hard to imagine Luke not wanting to train Baby Yoda, unless he senses something within him (i.e. the dark side) that suggests he shouldn’t, or if he received wisdom from, say, Yoda’s Force Ghost that it would be the wrong path.
The bigger issue may be Mando, or even Baby Yoda himself. The pair have formed a close attachment, and that increases in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 5 with the reveal of Baby Yoda’s real name, as he clearly appreciates being called Grogu, and they seem closer than ever before. Out of universe, meanwhile, then it’s their story that drives The Mandalorian, something Disney will want to keep going for a few more years yet, so they won’t want to hand the Child over to someone else. It feels more likely that, if they do meet Luke, then ultimately Mando and Baby Yoda will still choose to stick together and forge their own path, with Grogu leaning more into becoming a Mandalorian than a Jedi. Given what happens to Luke Skywalker’s other Jedi students, that’s probably for the best.
Originally from https://screenrant.com/mandalorian-baby-yoda-luke-skywalker-jedi-temple-tython/